Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
1149

The Playboy Bunny outfit was the first service uniform given a U.S. patent.

Representing one of the most familiar icons of the sexual revolution, the original Playboy Bunny outfit consisted of a black, form-fitting, strapless one-piece, a fluffy white tail, black satin ears, and a white collar and cuffs. It coincided with the advent of the Playboy Clubs in 1960.
It underwent a number of minor changes over the next few years, but the one thing that didn't change was Playboy company policy, which dictated that the outfit was to be worn "only for Playboy-authorized activities."

Tuesday

Fact N°
1150

Contrary to popular perception, the Declaration of Independence was not signed by all the delegates on July 4, 1776.

The most important document in the history of the United States was adopted by the delegates of the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but at the time, the copy added to the records did not include all 56 eventual signatures.
In fact, that document is signed only by elected President of Congress John Hancock, with longtime Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson signing as a witness to Hancock. Not until August 2 did the other 55 delegates begin to sign it themselves. That copy was most likely filed in Thomson's Philadelphia office, despite the fact that Thomson himself neither signed it nor is he counted among the 56 original signers.

Wednesday

Fact N°
1151

One-fifth of the planet's free-standing fresh water is in Siberia.

Fresh water is considered fresh when its salinity is measured to be less than .5 parts per 10,000 dissolved salts. Brackish water has between .5 and 35 parts, saline water between 35 and 50, and any higher than that is called brine.
Most fresh water reaches humans via rain and precipitation, but a full fifth of it is found in Lake Baikal, the "Blue Eye of Siberia," which at 5,314 ft (1,637 m), is also the world's deepest lake.

Thursday

Fact N°
1152

"General Sherman" is the largest living thing on the planet.

Ten times bigger than a blue whale, General Sherman is the name of a Giant Sequoia tree in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in central California. The tree is, by volume, the largest living thing on the planet and is estimated to be as many as 2,700 years old.
It is not the world's tallest tree, however -- it's not even close. General Sherman stands around 275 ft (83 m), while the Hyperion tree in Redwood National Park stretches up 379 ft (115 m).

Friday

Fact N°
1153

The record for the longest tenure on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list is 25 years, 10 months and 27 days.

When the FBI added alleged cop-killer Donald Eugene Webb to their Most Wanted list on May 4, 1981, it's likely few in the agency imagined he would prove so hard to find. But Webb surprised and frustrated the agency for over 25 years until finally, on March 31, 2007 the FBI removed his name -- but only to make room for murder suspect Shauntay Henderson. Webb's whereabouts are unknown.
Incidentally, Henderson's name was removed less than a day later (she was apprehended) but she didn't set the record for the shortest tenure. That belongs to another cop killer, Billie Austin Bryant. Tenure? Two hours.

Saturday

Fact N°
1154

James Garfield was the only U.S. President who was also an ordained minister.

The 20th President of the United States was only in office for about four months before being assassinated, but prior to that, he had been ordained as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a Protestant denomination. However, he did not attend seminary -- which is part of the process of becoming ordained today. In Garfield's day, according to the Restoration Movement of the era, he was considered fully ordained, and while President of Hiram College, he preached on Sundays.

Sunday

Fact N°
1155

A rearview mirror offers day and night visibility by using both sides of a single piece of glass.

The piece of glass is ground in such a way that one side is tilted compared to the other side, meaning they are not parallel to one another. The back surface of the glass is covered with a silver that makes it extremely reflective, and that's what you look at during the day to see behind you.
When tilted at night, that highly reflective surface points to the ceiling of your car, which is so dark you can't tell it's reflecting that. Meanwhile, the non-treated front of the glass is not a mirror at all, it's just glass, but headlights are so bright that the glass is able to reflect them.